Former Kentucky basketball player killed in shooting

Desmond Allison/Kentucky.com

((ht:dispatch.com))

Desmond Allison was a shooting guard for the University of Kentucky from 1998 to 2000. He wasn't an all-star, but averaged over 6 points a game in his two seasons.

Desmond Allison is now dead. Allison was shot and killed Monday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, the victim of a shooting after an argument.

The shooting, which also sent another man to the hospital, happened in the East Side of Columbus, in an apartment complex where it was reported that Allison may have lived.

More from Dispatch.com RIGHT HERE

Allison wasn't incredibly well known, but did have a mildly successful career at UK. He ended up getting dismissed from the team after a drunk driving arrest and marijuana possession charges, finished his basketball career playing NAIA basketball in Tennessee.

He apparently tried out for some NBA teams, but never made the jump to the pros. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, he drifted in and out of jail on various drug charges and never managed to find success in life.

Desmond Allison was 31-years-old.

Bobby Knight and Kentucky basketball: The war continues

Bob Knight/Courtesy: collegesportsfeed.com

This is nothing short of odd. We may be a day or two late in reporting the 1st part of this story. You know, the part where College basketball coaching legend and ESPN analyst Bob Knight calls out John Calipari and the University of Kentucky.

Knight, apparently on Saturday took umbrage with Calipari and the 2009 Kentucky basketball team. Answering a question during a speech at Wabash University, he accused UK of starting 5 players that didn't go to class that semester. Blaming that as a reason for a "One-and-done philosophy" now permeating college hoops.

Well, Kentucky responded today. Wildcat AD Mitch Barnhart saying Knight's assertion was "Blantantly erroneous" and "The University of Kentucky, our student-athletes and their families take great offense" to what was said.

Read the full story from the Lousiville Courier-Journal RIGHT HERE

This is stupid. Knight knows better. Or he should. Sure, we've taken shots at Calipari and Kentucky, but we would make that assertion, not without proof. And he didn't have any proof. There's plenty of proof that several of the UK players were actually pretty good students. Sure, there were some issues (ie: Eric Bledsoe), but none were proven.

Knight isn't wrong about one thing. The "One-and-done" issue in College basketball should be addressed. It's a problem. College football requires at least 2-years of players and there's no legitimate reason basketball can't do the same. Yeah, we know we've harped on the NCAA and their lack of commitment to anything academic or for the athlete.

But keeping kids in school another year doesn't hurt anyone. The money is going to be there. If they are good enough to leave after one season. They'll be good enough to leave after two. And maybe, just maybe they might catch on to the idea of getting their degree. It's just a thought....

Here's the video/speech that started the war. You'll have to skim through the really annoying titles/graphics to get to it. Sorry. (Courtesy: Joedctalk)

Jay-Z's visit to UK's locker room will cost him $50 large

Jay Z in the UK locker room/Courtesy: cbssports.com

((ht:cbssports.com))

It appears the alleged, impromptu visit that rap-mogul and co-owner of the New York Nets, Mr. Jay-Z, paid to the University of Kentucky locker room after the Wildcats celebrated clinching a Final Four berth, was expensive.

Mr. Z, or more specifically, his team, the Nets, have been fined $50,000 for the visit, which happened on March 27th.

Check out the story from CBSSports.com RIGHT HERE

For those wondering, the reason this was a problem is fairly simple and straight-forward. It violates NBA rules which say no contact with NCAA players who still have eligibility left. And there were quite a few of those in the UK Locker room.

Like the folks at CBSSports said, we are glad at least the NBA was willing to investigate this and throw down a fine. Granted $50 large is not a huge imposition for Jay-Z or the Nets, but at least they know the league is paying attention.

It may have been intentional, though we doubt it. The suspicion is, he just wanted to celebrate and who are the Wildcats to turn away from an offer by someone of Mr. Z's credentials?

Since we have discussed Jay-Z at length here, its only appropriate to catch the few of you unfamiliar with him up. Enjoy his homage to New York City:

Calipari Apologizes For Tirade

((HT: WLEX-TV Lexington))

Kentucky coach John Calipari has apologized for his tirade toward freshman Terrence Jones last night after the Wildcats loss to Alabama.

Calipari apologized on his Twitter and Facebook pages saying he "got caught up in the emotion of the game," but added that it isn't an excuse.

Coach Cal was hacked at Jones for what he thought was playing outside the team ideal. Jones finished with 17 points against Alabama, but committed four turnovers and took the final play as time expired.

Calipari wanted Doron Lamb to shoot.

Here's Kent Spencer from WTVQ-TV/ABC36 in Lexington with the highlights...


Jones responded on his Twitter feed last night...
"If ur saying ur parents never said anything to you that hurt ur feelings and then apologized to you after ur lying. I'm happy and blessed for playing for Cal. Don't think otherwise."

Kentucky QB Mike Hartline Arrested early in the morning

Mike Hartline/Courtesy: rootzoo.com

And it reinforces the statement that nothing good can come from being out at 3am.

The starting Quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats, Mike Hartline, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication around 3 Friday morning. He was in the midst of an argument with a group of people outside a duplex.

Hartline has bonded out of jail, but we are guessing that he's got some 'splainin' to do. And yeah, the incident happened after he left a bar. Thankfully, he wasn't driving.

According to reports, he was "Unsteady on his feet", his speech was slurred and he smelled like alcohol.

More details from Kentucky.com RIGHT HERE

Again, you can say that "College Kids will be College Kids" and you wouldn't be wrong. However, when you are the starting QB for the schools football team, you need to be a little more responsible than that. It will be interesting to see what Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips has to say about this, though we suspect ultimately it won't affect Hartline's status for the BBVA Compass Bowl, a game to be played....A MONTH from now.

Since the theme of your story is "Early in the Morning" and we couldn't find a video story on this, enjoy the next best thing:

UK's Kanter "Permanently Ineligible"

((HT: WLEX-TV Lexington))

Enes Kanter's eligibility status had been in question ever since he set foot on the True Blue campus because of his involvement with a Turkish team, Fenerbahce, for three seasons.

While he competed primarily for the club’s under-18 junior team, he did compete on the club’s senior team in 2008-09. Kanter received $33,033 more than his expenses for the 2008-09 season.

That's a big boo-boo...

Kanter then moved to the United States in 2009 and attended a prep high school before enrolling at Kentucky this fall.

The university is appealing the decision to something called the "Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee" at the end of the month. It's amde up of representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic conferences and can reduce or remove the conditions, but it cannot increase the conditions imposed by the staff.

A new NCAA rule that allows prospective student-athletes to compete on teams with professionals while maintaining their amateur status ((wouldn't you know Coach Cal would find this one)) prior to college applies; but the NCAA thinks benefits exceeded "actual and necessary expenses."

“Enes took advantage of an opportunity to play at the highest level available to him, but the consequences of receiving payments above his actual expenses is not compatible with the collegiate model of sports that our members have developed,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs.

Kanter can still practice, in the interim, but he can't compete or travel with the team while the appeal is pending.

Here's Alan Cutler in the newsroom...

TWTW: War Cam Eagle! Auburn Survives In Lexington

((HT: WLEX-TV Lexington/SEC on ESPN))

Cam Newton drove Auburn into position for Wes Byrum's 24-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the eighth-ranked Tigers past Kentucky 37-34.

Newton ran for a career-high 198 yards and four touchdowns and threw for 210 yards as the Tigers, now 6-0 (3-0 in the SEC), drove 88 yards in the final 7:22 after the Wildcats tied it at 34.

Auburn now waits for another heart-attack-to-happen with Arkansas this Saturday.

Brent Carney has the highlights...

It looks like Eric Bledsoe's grade issue may be resolved...or not

Eric Bledsoe/Courtesy: Chris Trotman-Getty Images

We've reported a couple of times about the ongoing issues surrounding former University of Kentucky and Alabama high school star Eric Bledsoe.

Accusations are running rampant that Bledsoe had one of his high school grades changed and that would have made him ineligible to play for Kentucky in 2009. Alabama's ruling high school association hasn't commented on the issue.Kentucky for their part says that the NCAA approved everything involved with Bledsoe's record and that if there is or was a problem, there is no way they could have known about it.

Now comes word that the ruling association in Birmingham has upheld Bledsoe's grade and potentially eliminated any question on the issue. Or did they?

The 4-letter word's Andy Katz has more RIGHT HERE

We have no reason really to believe anyone at this point. A thorough examination of the records on Bledsoe left quite a few questions out there. And those questions really haven't been answered yet. It is pretty clear some grades were changed...but by who? And when? We don't know the answer to those questions...and we may never know. It still sounds a little--no...a lot fishy.

((Also note in the Katz story that there is a link to the document in question))

Where there's smoke there is fire...Eric Bledsoe may still get in trouble...

Eric Bledsoe at Kentucky/Courtesy: flagrantfouls.com

We first told you about this back in May read it RIGHT HERE.

The story, about one of Kentucky's "One and Done's" from this past season in basketball. The player is former Kentucky basketball player Eric Bledsoe.

Bledsoe, though not the lynchpin of the 2009-10 team, contributed and was thought of highly enough to be drafted in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Now comes word that the story in May, may have been on to something. It appears, in a published report today, that there is a rather large question about what...and how Bledsoe acquired a grade he needed in order to qualify at Kentucky.

Al.com has more, read it RIGHT HERE

If we are a part of the Kentucky basketball program, we might be worried right now. It may turn out to be much ado about nothing. But it may not.

There seems to be a pretty big discrepancy about just how Bledsoe finished his time in high school. There also seems to be a strong effort by the people involved at the high school level to not discuss this at any length.

While it is plausible that he made the intellectual leap between his junior and senior years in high school, we, quite honestly don't buy it. If we are John Calipari and the "Big Blue Nation", we'd also be very concerned. There have been several mentions over the years about making deals with the devil, they could very easily come back to haunt you.

Here is what qualifies as big news in Lexington, Bledsoe's agreement to play for Kentucky. Thanks YouTube:

It Begins...NCAA Looking into Eric Bledsoe and Kentucky

You knew that it was only a matter of time. The only question was which player was going to get it started.

The NCAA has started an investigation of Eric Bledsoe, who spent this past season, his one and only, at Kentucky. The issue, as of right now doesn't implicate Coach John Calipari or the University of Kentucky, though it raises questions about signing kids who have zero chance of ever staying in College.

More from the New York Times RIGHT HERE

((Eric Bledsoe, with John Wall and John Calipari//Courtesy: MJ Masotti/Reuters-NYTimes))

Unfortunately, none of these potential violations are surprising. It's no secret that College Basketball lives in its own universe where the rules don't apply...unless you get caught. It also brings up the even dirtier underside of High School Basketball, where if a kid is identified as being an elite player, whatever personal flaws or issues that he has will be taken care of by someone.

That's enough espousing the lack of virtue in basketball. Here is some video of young Mr. Bledsoe playing ball. Courtesy: FoxSports/You Tube:

5 Wildcats Declare For NBA Draft

The HQ honestly thought the number would be that high...

But Kentucky freshmen Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and John Wall and junior Patrick Patterson are entering their names into the NBA draft, the school announced in a release on Wednesday.

Bledsoe averaged over 11 points per game. Cousins was second on the team in scoring. Orton was the sixth man. Wall was, well, John Wall. And Patterson was a top-15 player in the country when it came to field goal percentage.

All five players are projected as first-round picks.

“I’ve spoken with all five guys concerning the NBA and have encouraged them to put their names in the draft,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “They’ve all met individually with our compliance office to make sure they have a full understanding of eligibility rules and academic responsibilities. I’m so proud of these five young men, with everything they did for us on the court and the way they represented us off of it. It’s extremely unusual for four freshmen from the same team to have this opportunity, but it’s my job as a coach to prepare these young men for such opportunities.”

Underclassmen have until April 25th to declare for the draft and have until May 8th to withdraw their name from the draft. The draft itself is on June 24th.

Here's an example of what Ashley Judd will be missing next season...
Every point scored by UK in the Tennessee home game...
Well edited by UKWildcatFan92...
((HT: ESPN/NCAA/SEC))

Coach Cal Guilty Of Recruiting Violations

((HT: Onion Sports Network))

Gee, that didn't take long...
The Onion Sports Network investigates...


Kentucky Violated NCAA Rules While Recruiting Basketball-Playing Dog

So You Wanna Be Number One...???

And you run in to Columbia, South Carolina and get upset...

The Leader of the Free World warned UK head coach John Calipari about a game like this one in their phone call earlier in the afternoon, but the home team came up and bit them...

Devan Downey, the SEC's leading scorer, lit up Kentucky for 30 on his own as the Gamecocks beat Kentucky 68-62... no word on if Ashley Judd was in attendance...

((Crowd goes wild after game//Courtesy: Gerry Melendez/TheState.com))

Downey was 9-for-29 from the floor, but was 10-for-11 from the free throw line...

***Late Breaking News***- The University of South Carolina was fined $25k for what you see in the picture. More on that from TheState.com RIGHT HERE

Here's the wrap from our friends at WKYT-TV in Lexington...
Brandon Fisher was on site...

Calipari Calls Bucci A "Jagoff..."

But these two go back ten years or so, and know each other from Pittsburgh, so it was a work... pretty funny stuff...

But if you don't know any of this, you think Coach Cal is the one who's a jagoff...
((HT: Buster Sports))


There was this retort on Coach Cal's Twitter account...
John Buccigross & I go back 10 yrs. We're both from Pitt. It's a term of endearment & we went back n forth using that term b4 we went on-air

And this one four minutes later...
John's great @ what he does. I stunned him w/ my Pittsburghese. Come on, John. You're better than that. Watch the haters blow this up (DP)

Still funny, though...

The Great Wall And A Grey Beard...

You've seen the hype.

You followed all the trials and tribulations when he was a high school senior trying to determine whether or not his time of Raleigh-Word Of God would send him to Miami or Duke.

Sure, Coach Cal was at the front of the line, but the whole Memphis fiasco put that in limbo- as did the illegal contact from his AAU coach that forced him to sit the first two UK games this year.

You wonder what all the hype is about... you know he's a one-and-done, but it's like that wreck on the side of the road. You want to check it out on your way past...

Thus, another game at the last year of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on the corner of Roosevelt and Donahue on the Auburn campus.

((Ashley Judd is on the front row somewhere behind the UK bench, pictured thanks to me... What...? You don't see her...???))

Before the game was over, I think the entire world saw a bit of a blueprint on how to beat Kentucky come tournament time. It starts with free throw shooting...

I know that comes as some short of a shock when it comes to a Cal-Coached team...
The second-ranked Wildcats went 23-for-35, but at one point were 15-for-26. Wall's free throws down the stretch saved that average. Auburn only went 8-for-14, but the ridiculously one-sided whistling by SEC officials gave it that margin.

Auburn drew close in the first half, but a DeMarcus Cousins block/no-call and a bucket at the other end turned what could have been a four-point game to an eight-point game. That also happened on two possessions in the second half where the Tigers could have drawn even, but block/no-calls ((and a 10-second call on a walk-up and a bad cross-court pass on offense)) gave away too many opportunities.

There's your second point... you can't give away possessions. Auburn was smaller on the inside and had to live and die by the three. They were 9-for-24. At times, DeWayne Reed was out of his mind from the outside for an over matched Jeff Lebo-coached team.

Kentucky tried to turn the game into a track meet, but Auburn wasn't buying. The possessions were slowed down, the ball was worked around, and there were a lot of chacnes with the paint wide open that went ignored off a back door look.

One last thing...

Kentucky's speed can not be taken for granted- ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever.

And I'm talking on both offense and defense. Their closing speed when the other team is in transition is unreal, their size on the inside needs to be matched for any level of success if your favorite team can't shoot from the outside.

And Wall...??? Flashes of brilliance, freshman mistakes, and team that's now 18-0.

Rich Brooks Says Goodbye To His Ole Kentucky Home

[HT: Lexington Herald Leader]

Rich Brooks has officially retired as head football coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. UK's head coach in waiting, Joker Phillips, is no longer waiting. The gig is his.

Those of us who have covered SEC football and crossed paths with Brooks hate to see him go because what he did at Kentucky is simply remarkable.

Three years into his tenure UK fans wanted Brooks run out of town. The Wildcats then ran off 4 consecutive bowl trips, never accomplished before in school history.

Brooks made Kentucky football matter in the bluegrass state.

Here's a list of Rich Brooks' accomplishments in his seven years as Kentucky head coach:

Became first coach in UK history to appear in four consecutive bowl games

Led the Wildcats to victory over eventual national champion LSU in 2007, the program’s first win over a No. 1 ranked team in 43 years. UK also reached the nation’s top ten for the first time in 30 years that season.

Guided Kentucky to its first bowl in seven seasons in 2006. UK finished 8-5 that season, its most wins in 22 years. Kentucky’s 28-20 victory over Clemson in the Music City Bowl was also the program’s first bowl win since 1984.

In 2009 led Kentucky to its first win over Auburn since 1966 and first road win at Georgia since 1977.

Finishes fourth all-time in UK history in wins behind Bear Bryant, Fran Curci, and Jerry Claiborne.

Became first coach in SEC history to hire an African-American offensive coordinator (Joker Phillips) and defensive coordinator (Steve Brown) at the same time.

Photo Courtesy: Charles Bertram/Lexington Herald Leader

Brooks Has Maxed Out At Kentucky

First lets stand up and applaud what Rich Brooks has done as the head football coach at Kentucky. Instead of something to do before college basketball season tipped off, Brooks gave UK football fans something to cheer for. Even made the program relevant in Lexington.

Two years ago with Andre Woodson, Wesley Woodyard and a bunch of other talented players, Kentucky made a serious run at the SEC East title but just didn't have enough horses to get the job done.

Still, Brooks has led Kentucky to 4 post season bowls in a row and winning 3 which is a major accomplishment. He has done one of the most remarkable coaching jobs in the SEC.

I can imagine though that Rich Brooks is frustrated because football will never be more than what I stated in the beginning. It will never become a passion with Wildcat fans.

Sure Kentucky fans will show up at Commonwealth Stadium and show support but once basketball practice starts, well that's where the loyalties lie.

Then their is the financial backing. If an SEC football coach needs to an indoor practice facility or a players lounge, the check is in the mail. That's not the case at Kentucky. Men's basketball gets priority, football must wait it's turn.

I can imagine to that watching schools like Rutgers, Cincinnati or even another basketball school, North Carolina, commit major dollars to there football programs has to frustrate Rich Brooks.

Brooks said after the Music City Bowl loss to Clemson that he was 80% sure he was stepping down which I interpreted that he's not ready to step away from coaching or even Kentucky for that matter. That he would like some kind of commitment to the Kentucky football program to compete with Florida & Georgia. That might sway his decision.

Then again maybe Rich Brooks is content to call it a career and cast his fly rod into a stream somewhere. At least the trout are always biting.

Photo Courtesy: Lexington Herald-Leader

TWTW: Brooks Says He's "80%" Sure He's Not Returning...

((HT: WKYT-TV Lexington))

But sources close to those of us at OSG HQ say you can go ahead and add the extra 20-percent to UK Head Coach Rich Brooks' statement from last night's Music City Bowl postgame comments...

Brandon Fisher was in Nashville for WKYT-TV...


Brooks announced back in January that Joker Phillips was Coach-in-Waiting for the Wildcats footbasll job...

The 68-year-old Brooks finished his seventh season at Kentucky with a 7-6 record and 39-47 overall mark with the Wildcats. If it was his final game, his career coaching record in college will be 130-156-4 in 25 seasons, including 18 seasons at Oregon.

The HQ has to give Brooks a lot of credit for resurrecting a moribund football program in the SEC, much like Bobby Johnson has done at Vanderbilt. It will be interesting to see how Phillips carries the mantle from here...

Knight Slams Calipari, Calipari Shoots Back...By Not Shooting Back...

((HT: WISH-TV/Indianapolis))

Bobby Knight was in rare ((translation-standard)) form during his speech during the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame luncheon/dinner/coffee clatch in Indy yesterday.

Here's coverage from Mike Corbin and our friends at WISH-TV...
There really are no words that can do this justice...


Calipari had an opening, but he didn't take it. He "disagrees" with Bob Knight's assessment that college basketball lacks integrity and that he is proof the game has a problem.

Obviously, he has a very short memory when it comes to UMass and Memphis...
If he's not there, it didn't happen...???

Calipari said he remains a "big fan" of the former Indiana and Texas Tech coach, but refused to get into a verbal war with Knight.

Oh, well...
Knight raised $50-grand for the Hall of Fame...

TWTW: UGA Accentuates Mediocrity Losing To UK In Athens

((HT: WLEX-TV))

Those of us at OSG HQ have come to a few conclusions...

1) UGA Joe Cox is not a good college quarterback...

Evidence, your honor, comes from the last two throws he made... directly to Kentucky players and not Georgia receivers... Cox failed to look off receivers before delivering the football and deciding to throw to larger linebackers instead of his receivers who were dressed in the same colored uniform as he was.

Forcing the issue under pressure yields sub-standard results...

2) UGA DC Willy Martinez is short for The Hedges...

Too many points given up... too many yards given up...
Too many plays where opposing players run free...

Liberty Bowl reps were in attendance in Athens Saturday... now, they're looking at other schools. Do not be surprised if the Dawgs go to Birmingham and play another mediocre ACC squad before Christmas...

Here's your highlights, thanks to our friends at WLEX-TV in Lexington
Brent Carney got to stand in front of a monitor for the recap...